- Conference
- 2007 Health Care Service Group Conference
- Date
- 22 December 2006
- Decision
- Carried as Amended
This conference welcomes the establishment of the TUC and non-TUC Health Trade Unions ‘NHS Together’ campaign which in conjunction with the UNISON ‘Say YES to 5 Healthier Options’ campaign provides a campaigning strategy to keep the NHS working in the public sector.
This conference supports and applauds the leadership role provided by UNISON’s Healthcare Service Group Executive in the face of job losses, budget crisis, closures and privatisation.
This conference notes the recent health lobby of the House of Commons on 1 November and the planned national TUC demonstration in the Spring 2007 but recognises that these are early steps on what must be a protracted campaign to defend the NHS and national health care provision.
This conference welcomes the Healthcare Service Group Executive’s initiatives and calls on the Healthcare Service Group Executive to extend the campaigning strategy to:
a)develop supportive work with the national Labour Link structures to promote UNISON Health care policy as adopted at the Labour Party conference and recent TUC conference;
b)develop campaigning and supportive links with MPs;
c)develop the ‘NHS Together’ campaign to identify particular core strategies including: defending Mental Health provision; addressing the potential Health Professional staffing crisis especially in Medical and Nurse training, Nurse provision, Midwifery etc; produce a strategic overview of ‘our’ vision of what Health care provision is and should be – one driven by the needs of the people not marketisation, budget deficits, privatisation etc; and strengthen ‘NHS Together’ campaigning in every NHS Trust.
d)call for an end to the current financing system of the NHS in England; payment by results; resource allocation budgeting and its replacement by a needs and evidence based financing mechanism which is modern and efficient.
e)calls for and end to the involvement of the ‘for profit’ sector in the provision and commissioning of healthcare, and seeks an agreement with the government to this effect, including seeking an immediate end to issuing tenders to non-NHS bodies.
This conference recognises that the NHS is unique in providing care and assistance to all members of society and that public support to defend the NHS is running at unprecedented levels. Under the leadership of the Healthcare Service Group Executive and the NHS Together forum, this conference welcomes campaigning initiatives which create greater unity in defending health care provision.
This conference supports the Healthcare Service Group Executive and calls upon all Health Branches to utilise this period, in conjunction with the National and Regional Organising staff, to review Branch organisation and structures, enhance recruitment strategies, enhance participation in branch and regional structures to ensure that our Membership is fully represented and heard.